The Shootings at Umpqua Community College

Oregonians are reeling from the news of a mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg. What is known is that a shooter opened fire at classroom at the community college killing at least 10 people and injuring seven.

What isn’t known is whether this latest shooting will press Oregon and the nation to finally do something about gun control and the state of mental health care. As President Obama said today, when speaking on the shooting:

“… each time we see one of these mass shootings, our thoughts and prayers are not enough. It’s not enough. It does not capture the heartache and grief and anger that we should feel. It does nothing to prevent his carnage from being inflicted some place else in America next week or a couple months from now.”

After the Newtown shootings at Sandy Hook where 20 kids and six adults were killed, the Douglas County Sheriff came out strongly against any new gun control legislation.

Twitter updates on today’s shooting can be found at #UCCshooting Tweets. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has been using the #UCCshooting hashtag.

There will be a candlelight vigil at Roseburg’s Stewart Park tonight. At 2 pm Oct.2, Lane Community College will be providing an opportunity for “people to share their thoughts and feelings and support one another” at Bristow Square on the main campus.

According to the Register-Guard, a student told the Roseburg News-Review (accessible only to paid subscribers) that “she saw her teacher get shot in the head. The shooter was inside the classroom at that point, and he told people to get on the ground, she said. The shooter was asking people to stand up and state their religion and then started firing away, she added. Moore said she was lying there with people who had been shot.”

Lane Blood Center has put out a call for emergency blood donors due to the sudden need for blood as a result of the injuries.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said via Twitter that the reason it hasn’t released the victims’ names is because the shooting is “deemed ‘mass-casualty event’; brings specific protocols into play. Protocol/notifications mean no name release for 24-48 hrs.”